MI Local Foodbeet is here to help YOU learn how easy it is to eat local in Michigan: recipes, food preservation instructions, store locations, restaurant reviews, and more. Although I occasionally receive unsolicited discounts or samples, the opinions in the blog posts are my own.
Recipe Index: http://milocalfoodbeet.blogspot.com/2013/06/recipe-index.html

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Valentine Sweets

In honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday, I toured Sweetland Fine Home Made Candies in Grand Rapids. We have several chocolatiers in Michigan; Sweetland is my personal favorite. Perhaps it’s because many of the recipes are original to when the business started over 90 years ago.

I spoke with John Senior; his Dad started the business in 1919. John and his son John Jr. have been working at the business their whole lives. The business originally made ice cream too. And in the 1950’s – 1980’s, they owned a restaurant at 2160 Plainfield Avenue NE adjacent to the candy store.

For the past 25 years, the production facility has been located with the store at 5170 Plainfield Avenue NE. The day that I visited they were making caramels. They are mixed, set-up, cut, and then covered with chocolate. The chocolates harden in a second room before packaging.